Korean Canadian b-boy Philip Kim, who goes by Phil Wizard, just became the first-ever Olympic champion of men’s breaking, reports Forbes.
“Honestly, I’m still processing it,” said Kim, according to the official Olympics website. “It went by so fast, but it feels incredible. This is history in the making, and honestly I never thought I would be here.”
Frenchman Danis Civil (who goes by b-boy name Dany Dann) had the home court advantage and put on a strong performance on Saturday against Canada’s Kim to ultimately end with a silver medal. Civil and Kim showed their great sportsmanship with hugs after their battle ended and after Kim was announced the winner with a 3-0 victory.
Breaking is also known as breakdancing or b-boying (for men) or b-girling (for women). The dance form was started by Black and Latino youths in New York City in the early 1970s, according to Red Bull, which organizes an annually-held global breaking competition called Red Bull BC One.
Breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris this year, but as of now, it’s not scheduled for the Los Angeles Games in 2028, despite originating from the U.S. There’s a chance it will make a return to the Olympics in 2032, which will be held in Brisbane, Australia, reports Cosmopolitan.
“Our campaign to be added to Brisbane 2032 has already begun and is being ably led by our first vice president and resident Australian Tony Tilenni,” said World DanceSport Federation president Shawn Tay.
“Initial reactions from all participants to the breaking presentations, including Brisbane officials at the Australian Olympic Committee’s one year to go to Paris 2024 celebrations, have been highly optimistic about our chances of being added to these Games.”
B-boy Victor Montalvo (Victor) took home the bronze for the U.S. in a 3-0 win against Japan’s Shigeyuki Nakarai (Shigekix). B-girl Ami Yuasa (Ami) won gold for Japan in the women’s breaking finals.
Hear Kim talk about his passion for the sport:
You can watch Phil Wizard clinch the gold against Dany Dann in the men’s breaking final on YouTube.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
We are supported through donations and such charitable organizations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This holiday season, double your impact by making a tax-deductible donation to Asian American Media Inc and AsAmNews. Thanks to an additional benefactor, all donations will now be matched up to a total of $12,000.
Please also follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and X.
